


Haunted House Dare

by frenchpuppycormier



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Dare, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Ghosts, Halloween, Haunted Houses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:21:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27086251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frenchpuppycormier/pseuds/frenchpuppycormier
Summary: Prompt: Person A and Person B both claim to not believe in ghosts so their friends dare them to spend a night in a haunted house together. After only 2 hours, they both come running out of the house terrified. When their friends laugh at them, they both try to pull the whole "Oh I wasn't scared, I only left because *the other person* was scared" excuse.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	Haunted House Dare

The dining hall was practically empty, save for some workers, a janitor, and a group of friends sitting around a table eating a late dinner. Midterms were right around the corner so all students were on edge and a bit stressed out, to say the least. Normally the place would be packed, but today is Friday and most students go out and party on Friday’s.

Regina is sitting in between Kathryn and Emma, while Ruby sits across from them along with David, Mary Margaret, and Lily. The group of friends is chowing down on their food before the hall closes, while waiting for their other friends to arrive.

“Where are they?” Ruby groans. “They better hurry the fuck up, this place is creepy during the day, let alone at night.”

“What, are you scared?” Lily teases.

“Yeah, actually. I swear I saw a ghost roaming around the other day.”

Lily gasps. “No way!”

“Deadass,” Ruby replies. David and Mary Margaret look at each other like their friends are unhinged. Kathryn is trying not to laugh at Ruby’s antics, and Regina just scoffs. “Please, ghosts aren’t real.”

“And how would you know?” Ruby asks.

“I don’t believe in silly things like that. Next you’re gonna say vampires are real too.”

Ruby throws up her middle finger at her and looks to Emma. “What about you, Em? Do you believe in ghosts?” Emma is busy twirling her fork in her pasta, not even paying attention to the chit chat around her. “Hello? Earth to Emma?” Ruby snaps her fingers.

Regina nudges her with her shoulder. “Hey, Em.”

Emma dazedly lifts her head. “Uh, what?” She yawns while her friends stare at her in disbelief. Regina shakes her head and smiles. “I’m sorry, I’m just tired from all the studying.” She rests her head on Regina’s shoulder. Regina rubs her back a few times before settling her hand on her waist. Emma asks, “What was the question?”

“Ruby wants to know if you believe in ghosts?” David asks as he throws a grape in his mouth. “Regina, here, is the only one who doesn’t.”

She glares at him and says, “I don’t recall your opinion on the matter. What about you two lovebirds?” she nods toward him and Mary Margaret. “You guys think ghosts are real?” They both nod. “What about you, Kathryn?”

Kathryn’s complexion turns a ghastly white. “I had a ghost follow me around growing up,” she shivers. “No one believed me and I was tormented for it. They called me the ghost girl.”

“Shit,” Ruby gapes. “That’s terrifying!” She looks at Emma again. “So, Em? What do you think?”

Emma clears her throat and sits up. “Well, as interesting of a story as that is, I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to agree with Regina.” She shrugs, “Sorry.”

“Of course you would agree with Regina,” Ruby huffs.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Emma frowns.

Ruby raises her eyebrows and tilts her head to her head to the side, while glancing down, not engaging with the accusation. Regina pats Emma on her back then rests her arm on the chair. She leans into her side and whispers in her ear, “Ignore her.”

At that moment Zelena and Dorothy appear from out of nowhere. Dorothy sits next to Ruby and kisses her on the cheek, while Zelena smiles at the crew and says, “’Sup bitches?”

“You guys finally made it,” Mary Margaret announces.

“Apologies. The bus was running late,” Zelena rolls her eyes. She starts to poke Regina. “Hey, sis.” Regina swats her away until she decides to sit down. “So, what’re you guys talking about?”

“Emma and Regina don’t believe in ghosts!” Lily shouts. The janitor across the room glares at her, and she sheepishly sinks lower into her seat waving at him while whispering, “Sorry!”

Zelena cackles. “Oh really? Well, I think we should change that.”

“What?” Regina asks.

“You know that Haunted House on the corner of Maple and Elm?” Regina hesitates then nods. “I dare you and Emma to spend the night there. Tomorrow.” The group collectively gasps and they all get mischievous looks on their faces. “Prove me wrong.”

Regina smirks and holds out her hand. “Deal.” They shake on it. Emma looks at Regina with her mouth open ready to protest, but Regina puts her hand over it. “We’re doing this.” Emma licks her hand and she quickly retracts it, wiping it on Emma’s thigh underneath the table, with a look of disgust.

Smirking, Emma grabs her hand and intertwines their fingers. “So what, are we just supposed to break in? That house is in a private lot. We could get caught.”

“I know the owner,” Zelena says, with a smug look on her face.

“No you don’t,” Regina admonishes.

“No I don’t,” Zelena laughs. “But no one has lived there for years. It’ll be fine. Plus, the rest of us will be right outside.” The group of friends groan.

“Because that won’t look suspicious at all,” Dorothy shakes her head.

“Good point. Hmmm,” Zelena ponders for a moment. She points her finger at her head and yells, “Aha! I’ll place a camera across the street hidden discreetly in a tree. That way, I’ll know when you non-believers chicken out and leave!”

The rest of the group mutters in agreement and relief that they don’t have to loiter outside throughout the dead of the night, and risk getting caught.

Emma groans and drops her forehead on Regina’s shoulder. “You’re lucky I like you,” she whispers. Regina chuckles and squeezes her hand. “Alright, well we should probably go. This one’s getting sleepy,” she nods toward Emma.

The crew gets up and puts away their dishes, disbursing for the night. As everyone else walks ahead, Regina and Emma stick behind and walk at a slower pace. Emma lightly punches Regina in the arm. “I can’t believe you roped me into this shit.”

“Hey, you’re the one who agreed with me. You did this to yourself,” Regina grins and pinches her side.

“Ow!” she grimaces. Emma grabs her hand and pretends to bite it, making the other woman laugh. She drops their hands and swings them back and forth while they walk. “So…I really don’t think I can handle another night in my dorm with Ruby and Dorothy making out across the room. Can I stay at your place tonight?”

“Fine by me, but we’ll have to let Kathryn know, so she doesn’t wake up in the middle of the night freaking out about seeing a naked swan on the couch,” Regina smirks.

Emma scoffs, “That happened once. And I wasn’t naked! I had a bra on…and shorts. It was hot, okay?” Regina snorts. “Anyway, thanks. You’re a lifesaver,” she says before kissing her on the cheek. Because that’s what friends do, right?

“Emma, you know you can stay with me whenever you want, right? Our apartment has plenty of room.”

“Good to know.” She smiles and pulls her forward, faster-paced. “C’mon, let’s catch up with the rest!”

* * *

“I hate this!” Emma hisses next to Regina as they creep up the creaky, wooden stairs leading to the porch of the decrepit haunted house. Once they get to the top, they turn around and watch Zelena get her gear set up and then wave at them. Emma flips her off and Regina rolls her eyes, bringing Emma’s hand down.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Regina drags Emma into the house and the door closes behind them, making the two women jump in fright. Regina looks at her and says with a shrug, “It was…just the wind.”

The house resembled the haunted house from _Crimson Peak_. The interior was ornate and the walls were adorned with paintings covered in dust. The foyer was wide open and it led to a fireplace at the end, and a staircase leading up to the second and third floors. A giant chandelier hung from above, drenched in cobwebs. Besides the general eeriness of abandonment, and fact that it was an old house ready to collapse at any moment, it wasn’t half bad.

“Remind me again why we hang out with Zelena?” Emma asks.

“I wish I knew,” Regina mutters. They continued through the house and eventually find a spot to relax. Emma lands on the couch and a plume of dust escapes. Coughing and waving her hands, she stands up. “Floor it is.”

“So, I guess it’s not too bad,” Emma says while making herself comfortable on the floor, leaning back into the couch. She looks up at Regina with expectant eyes and pats the area next to her. “Sit.”

“Really? You don’t want to explore or anything?”

“Maybe later.”

“Alright,” Regina replies and sits down next to her. A moment passes where neither of them says anything. Regina frowns and says, “Fuck. We should’ve brought something to do.”

Emma smiles and rifles through her back. “Well you’re in luck, ‘cause I brought this,” she says while whipping out a Ouija board.

“Are you kidding me?”

“What?”

“Emma. That’s literally the last thing to bring to a haunted house. Have you _never_ seen a scary movie before?”

Emma chuckles and says, “We don’t believe in ghosts, remember?”

“Doesn’t mean it’s not a dumb idea…”

“Fine,” Emma mutters while shoving it away. “I’m kinda tired anyway.” She shifts herself so her backpack can be used as a pillow, and curls up on the floor. Regina huffs and lies down beside her facing the opposite direction. Without another word, they both drift off to sleep.

Some time later, she doesn’t know how long, Regina wakes up to someone tapping on her shoulder. She shrugs it off and mutters, “What, Emma?” No answer. A minute later she feels another tap. “Knock it off.” Once again, she doesn’t reply. When she feels it a third time, she turns around and Emma’s back is to her, and she’s sleeping.

Okay, _Regina thinks._ No need to panic. She’s clearly just messing with me.

“Emma,” she says, nudging her arm. “Emma, wake up.” But she doesn’t budge. Regina leans in closer and lowers her face so it’s right above the blonde’s. “Emma?” As soon as she inches closer, Emma shoots up and yells, “Boo!” right before her head collides with Regina’s in a loud crack.

“Fuck!” Regina yells, grabbing her now throbbing forehead.

Emma winces and groans, “Shit, man. Why were you so close to me?”

“I was trying to look at you.”

“If you wanted to kiss me, you could’ve just asked,” she says with a smug look on her face. Regina’s face turns red. “I was seeing if you were awake and messing with me,” she hisses. “Clearly I was right.”

Emma laughs. “I thought I’d retaliate from you waking me from my peaceful slumber.”

“You mean, you weren’t tapping me on the shoulder?”

“No?” Regina’s skin is suddenly covered in goosebumps and she shivers. Emma notices her look of paranoia and frowns. “What’s going on?”

“I thought I felt you tapping me on the shoulder. Three times. But if you were asleep,” she sucks in a deep breath, “then I must’ve just imagined it or something.” Regina rubs at her head in anguish. “Hey, do you happen to have any ibuprofen in your bag?”

Emma shakes her head. “Sorry. I think it’s in my other bag back in my dorm,” she says. “But, maybe I can make it better?” Regina looks at her warily while Emma takes her hands away from her head and holds them. She leans forward and kisses her on the forehead. “So…did it work?”

Regina shakes her head.

“Hmmm.” Emma presses another kiss on her forehead and then another on her temple. She keeps kissing her until Regina laughs and pushes her away.

“Em, it’s fine. It’s just a little throbbing. The worst I’ll have is probably a bruise or a bump. How’s your’s?” Regina reaches for Emma’s injured head and softly caresses it with her thumb. She tucks blonde hairs behind her ear and runs her knuckles down her jaw.

“Better,” Emma says, with a dopey grin. She stares into those deep brown eyes speckled with honey, crinkling slightly as they gaze back. Tentatively she leans forward, expecting Regina to meet her halfway, and she does. As their lips touch, Emma threads her hands through dark curls and wraps them behind her neck.

Regina pulls her closer by the waist so Emma is straddling her. When Emma deepens the kiss, suddenly Regina pulls away and looks down. “Sorry, I just had to catch my breath,” she laughs, breathily.

Emma snickers and gently rests her forehead on Regina’s. “Me too. That was…wow.”

“I know,” Regina replies and pulls away to look at her. She opens her mouth to say something else when they hear a loud noise coming from upstairs, making them jump and freeze. “What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Emma squeaks. She rushes to stand up but almost falls when she does. Regina stands up and grabs her shoulders. “Woah, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think I’m just a little light-headed. Got up too fast.” She take’s Regina’s hand and feels the heat rise up her neck. “C’mon. Let’s go check it out.”

Slowly they make their way up the stairs, every step making their presence known to whoever-or whatever-is up there. Once at the top they decide it’s better if they split up. Emma goes to the end of the hallway into the master bedroom, while Regina takes the room closest to the stairs.

When Regina enters, she sees that the room is basically empty, except for an old dresser and a mirror covered with a sheet. She opens the drawers and finds old pictures of a family. Probably the one that used to live here, _she thinks._ After shuffling through the photos, she spies a jewelry box. Opening it up reveals a pristine pearl necklace.

She clasps it around her neck and takes the sheet down, looking at herself in the mirror. Feeling like an intruder, Regina takes it off but it slips through her fingers and falls to the floor. Quickly retrieving it, she stands back up and when she glances back at the mirror, there’s an old woman staring back at her. She panics and screams, but when she turns around the woman is gone.

Emma comes running into the room, a frantic look on her face. “Regina! What happened?”

“N-nothing. I thought I saw someone,” she shakes her head. “She’s gone, though.”

“She?”

Regina sighs and mumbles, “I saw a ghost.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“…I saw a ghost, okay? I’m not proud of it!”

Emma laughs.

“What?”

“Oh nothing. You’re just cute when you’re flustered,” Emma pokes her in the side, making her squirm. Regina shoves her away, blushing. “Hey, I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick. I think I saw one over here somewhere,” she walks down the hall and before she enters she says, “Be right back.”

Regina rolls her eyes and is about to say some witty remark about the bathroom probably not working, but she doesn’t get the chance because Emma comes running out screaming bloody murder, and grabbing her hands. “What?”

“There’s someone in there!”

“What?”

“There’s a fucking ghost in there, Regina!” Emma exclaims. Regina’s eyes widen and Emma turns around to see a dark figure gliding toward them. “Run!” Emma tugs Regina down the stairs, both women shrieking, and they fly out the front door. When they make it outside they’re both panting, hands on their knees.

“Fuck! I forgot my bag!” Emma groans. She runs back in before Regina can protest and makes it back without another incident, bag on her back.

As soon as they’re steady again, Emma grabs Regina’s hand again and they walk to the end of the paved pathway, and make it a block before she stops. “Listen, Regina…I don’t think we can be friends anymore.”

Regina’s heart stops. “Wh-what-but…why?”

“Because,” she leans forward and whispers, “I think I’d like to date you.” Emma shyly smiles and pulls back so she can look into the brunette’s eyes. Regina’s lips slowly tilt up into a smile and she starts laughing. Emma’s mouth drops and she steps back, letting go of her hand, already missing the warmth of her touch. “What’s so funny? Why are you laughing?”

Regina shakes her head and her laughing dies down. “Emma. You idiot,” she pulls Emma forward by her belt loops and wraps her hands around her waist. “I kind of thought we were already together.”

“Really?”

“I’m pretty sure friends don’t do this,” she says before pressing her lips to Emma’s. She breaks it off once she remembers the camera. “Fuck. Zelena’s totally gonna rub this in our faces.”

“I don’t care. I got a girlfriend out of it,” Emma smirks.

Regina rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “Let’s go, Em,” she pulls her along, making their way toward campus. About halfway there Emma stops walking making Regina turn around. “What is it?”

“Can I stay at your place again?”

“Always.”

Emma grins. “Okay, but…can I sleep in your bed with you this time?”

“My my. Someone’s a bit presumptuous,” she chuckles, but continues. “What’s mine is yours.”

“Oh, so does that mean these,” Emma touches Regina’s lips with her finger, “are mine too?” Regina’s nose scrunches in response and Emma laughs. “I’m sorry. That was too cheesy. Even for me.”

“It was,” Regina smirks. “But you’re adorable so I’ll let it slide this time. Although, as much as I’d love to keep kissing you, I’m cold, so the faster we walk the faster we get to my apartment.”

* * *

The next morning, Zelena-along with Ruby, Dorothy, and Lily-come barging into Regina’s apartment. They rap on the door until Kathryn unlocks it with wild bed-head and droopy eyes. “What the fuck, guys. It’s too early for this.”

Zelena waltzed passed her and yelled, “Regina!” she turns around and looks at Kathryn while the others come inside and sit in the living room. She unzips her back and pulls out her laptop. “We have something to show you.”

The group of friends huddle around Zelena and together they watch Emma and Regina race out of the haunted house, terrified out of their minds. Lily snorts and Ruby and Dorothy look at each other before cracking up.

Regina walks out of her room, Emma trailing behind her. “What. Is happening?” she rubs her hands over her face.

Zelena cackles and says, “You two chickened out!”

“Oh, _I_ wasn’t scared. I only left because Regina was scared,” Emma points at her. Regina scoffs and turns around. “Please, I left because _you_ were scared. You ran out of that room screaming like a bat out of hell.”

“ _You’re_ the one who felt someone tapping your shoulder!”

The friends just look at each other while they argue. David and Mary Margaret walk in at that exact moment. “What’s going on?” he asks. “We brought coffee!”

Zelena rushes forward with her hands stretched out. “Gimme gimme!” David hands the coffee over and places the rest on the coffee table.

“Emma and Regina got scared shitless last night and left after two hours,” Lily smirks. The two women in in question turn back around and glare.

Mary Margaret groans and reaches into her purse, and pulls out a twenty-dollar bill. She hands it over with a defeated look to David, who cheers in victory. “Sorry ladies, I was really rooting for two.”

Regina stalks forward, grabs a coffee, and plops down on the love seat. Emma follows suit and sits next to Regina, placing her feet in her lap. Regina responds by gently rubbing a hand along her calf while taking a sip from her cup.

The group looks at them with wide eyes and mouths hanging open.

“What?” Regina asks. She looks over at Emma and then back at them. “Oh yeah, we’re dating now.”

Ruby jumps up and pumps her fist in the air yelling, “I knew it!”

They all laugh, and Emma moves so her legs are tucked beneath her and she’s closer to Regina. She reaches over and softly grabs the brunette’s chin, turning her so they’re face to face. Leaning forward, Emma presses a lingering kiss to her lips. She pulls away and winks. “Worth it.” 


End file.
